Diigo - Social Bookmarking

One of today’s assignments was to watch this film about Diigo, a free social bookmarking and sharing tool, and answer the following questions. 

1.       Describe the 3 steps to recommend in the film to get started social bookmarking?

1)      One of the great features of Diigo is the ability to highlight and annotate directly on the page you are reading.  You also have the ability to bookmark the web page so you can easily locate it.  This is helpful so you can remember your exact thoughts about the web page any why you liked it.

2)      Another great feature is the ability to organize, share, and display your bookmarks.  This is useful because it gives you the ability to connect with others interested in the same things and find related topics.

3)      Diigo also gives the user the ability to see what you and your friend have in common.  Diigo group is a place for people to share through group bookmarks, forums, sticky notes, or highlights.

2.       Describe is Web 2.0, and how it differs from previous stages of the web?

Web 2.0 is different from previous stages of the web because it is more users friendly and allows for easier connections with others, it’s more fun.  Web 2.0 is used to organize, share, and display your collections of bookmarks.  It also allows you to view your friend’s bookmarks and users with similar interests.  

3.      What is social bookmarking and what advantages does social bookmarking offer that traditional storage and retrieval of web sites does not?

      Social bookmarking is a way of bookmarking your favorite websites but instead of them being saved on your web browser, which is only on your computer, you save them on the web.  This allows you to access your bookmarks from anywhere even if you don’t have your own computer.  Social bookmarking also makes it easier to share your links with friends or others interested in the same things as you.  

To access Diigo click here and to install the Diigolet web browser click here.  Here is a link to my Diigo page.

The second part of today’s assignments is to reflect on my experience with different web browsers.  At first I didn’t believe I had much experience because I thought the only web browser I used was Internet Explorer.  I learned different after I did a quick search of web browsers and found this list.  Once I read the list of browsers I realized I have used Internet Explorer, Google, Firefox, AOL and Netscape Navigator.  This made me feel a little more confident in my technology skills.     

A browser add-on is a tool that can be added to a web browser.  This tool usually enhances the current features of a program or adds new features.  An example of a browser add on is a toolbar.  A toolbar can be very useful because it can be placed at the top of the web browser so the tool is only a click away.  The most useful toolbar I have is the Google toolbar.  This toolbar makes it easy for me access my Gmail, search the web, and access my favorite websites.    

I feel this activity most closely matches the ISTE NETS T standard 3, Model Digital-Age Work and Learning. The standard states: Teacher exhibits knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of and innovative professional in a global and digital society.  The technology used in this activity is definitely innovative in today’s digital society.  The use of a social bookmarking allows for easy sharing of important web links.  This would be very useful for a teacher because it would ensure the students have access to the specific websites the teacher intends.